Doc: Mick Cronin deserves credit for treatment of Cashmere Wright
Head coach puts star player's future first
Jan. 21, 2013 6:13 PM,


Cashmere Wright had just five points in Monday's loss on 2-of-13 from the field. / Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Written by
Paul Daugherty

Mick Cronin did Cashmere Wright the kindest favor Saturday night. He didn’t let him play basketball.

The UC point guard could have played. Given the test UC faced against 25th-ranked Marquette, and the high level at which Wright had been operating the previous several games, maybe he should have played. The right knee he’d tweaked four nights earlier had no structural damage. He sprained it. Wright had played in 107 games in a row. He’d come back from a torn knee ligament that routed his whole freshman year. He’s a tough guy.

Cronin did him the greatest service. “You’re not playing tonight,’’ he said to his point guard before the game.

Wright started Monday, at No. 3 Syracuse. He didn’t look hindered by the knee. But he played like it. Wright appeared tentative against the Orange zone, in UC’s 57-55 loss. But his health was not in jeopardy. Cronin deserves credit for that.

The pressure on coaches is enormous. Some is self imposed. They don’t get to the peak of their profession without it. Most if it is survival. Coaching is a what-have-you-done-for-me-tomorrow profession. Expediency isn’t just an option. It’s the style of choice.

It wasn’t just Wright that crumpled on the court at DePaul last week. It was a season. Even with Wright, the Bearcats are not the most efficient offensive team. Without him, they’re musical chairs. TV showed him being helped off, arms draped over two sets of shoulders. Fearing the worst seemed the smart play.

Then Wright returned to the bench, with barely a limp, and asked to go back in the game.

If Mick Cronin had been Mike Shanahan, Wright would have checked in. After all, Wright had said he could play. He looked as if he could play, even though five minutes earlier, he’d have needed a wheelchair to get himself off the court.

“The kid was having the best game of his life,’’ Cronin said. Twenty points, seven assists, in 22 minutes. “He was headed for 30 and 10. Oscar (Robertson) numbers.’’

Cronin consulted trainer Bob Mangine. “Is he all right?’’

“He said he feels OK,’’ Mangine answered.

“Can you tell me he has no structural damage to his knee?’’ Cronin wondered. Mangine said he was “eighty percent’’ certain that was the case. “I need 100 percent,’’ said Cronin. Mangine couldn’t offer that. Cronin directed Wright to the bench. “That was the end of the discussion. You have to save players from themselves,’’ he explained.

Yes.

We won’t go overboard here. DePaul on a Wednesday night in January is not, say, North Carolina in March, a Sweet 16 trip on the line. Cronin admitted circumstances played a part in his decisions, both Wednesday and Saturday.

“We’re going to make the NCAA tournament,’’ Cronin said. “You want to make sure you’re playing with him then. You don’t want him out there hobbling around. If it was the Final Four, yes, he’d have played. But only if we knew for sure it was just a sprain. Structural damage? Absolutely not.’’

It’s hard for coaches to take the long view. Harder, sometimes, for them to put a player’s interests ahead of their own. By all accounts, Cronin needed Wright against Marquette. All the tests had been done. The ligaments were fine. Wright had “minor soreness’’ on Friday. Cronin kept him out again.

“It’s just not worth the risk to him. It’s the kid’s career on the line,’’ Cronin said. “He’s going to have a chance to make some money playing the game. I’m not going to jeopardize that.’’

Cronin’s motive wasn’t entirely selfless. “I thought we could win without him,’’ he said. UC did win, by two in overtime. It took a career night from Sean Kilpatrick and a collective effort at point guard. It worked out for the Bearcats.

It worked out best for the Bearcat who didn’t even play. Mick Cronin had Cash Wright’s back. The coach gave credence to the elaborate, kitchen-table spiel all coaches spew, when they’re in a recruit’s home: “I’m going to treat your son like he’s my own.’’

Yeah, well. OK.

A coach did the right thing by a player. Let’s hope Wright notices that. Let’s hope all coaches do.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130...ent-Wright

Wright struggles in return to lineup
01/21/13 at 7:38pm by Bill Koch

Cashmere Wright apparently was in no mood to talk after UC’s disheartening 57-55 loss at Syracuse on Monday. The normally loquacious Wright somehow made it out of the UC locker room without being noticed and did not talk to reporters after the game.


Cashmere Wright

It’s been a rough week for Wright since he left the DePaul game last Tuesday with a sprained right knee. After missing the Marquette game on Saturday, he returned to the lineup against Syracuse and played 29 minutes, but he scored only five points on 2-of-13 shooting. He was 1-for-8 from 3-point range and missed a 3-point shot in the closing seconds that could have won the game for UC.

Wright’s final shot looked good as it left his hand, but rolled off the rim.

“It rolled in and then it rolled right out,” said Sean Kilpatrick. “It looked perfect and then for it to go out like that was just crazy.”

Mick Cronin said he would have preferred that Wright had thrown the ball into the high post.

“I should have talked to him more about trusting his teammates instead of going for that shot,” Cronin said. “I love his confidence but I would rather have thrown the ball in the high post.”

Wright appeared to be OK physically.

“It was a little sore,” Cronin said. “It’s just like a sprained ankle. I wouldn’t let him play if he was hurt.”

But Kilpatrick said Wright wasn’t in the flow.

“He’s not back to himself but he was all right to at least run up and down and do what he did for us,” Kilpatrick said. “He hit big shots and that’s something that we needed from him.”

The UC defense was outstanding again, holding Syracuse, which leads the Big East in scoring at 78.5 points per game, 23 points below its average. The Bearcats did it with a zone and an emphasis on stopping the Orange’s transition game.

“We tried our hardest to not give them a lot of layups,” Kilpatrick said. “Their game is basically transition layups and getting alley oops.”

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/uc/2013/01/2...to-lineup/

Koch wrote: . "The normally loquacious Wright..."

loquacious Bill? Wow...impressive. Most people would have used "talkative" but nice job on pulling out the ten dollar word my man! hahaha